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"Children of Earth" & the Right to Bear Arms (spoilers)

I've long been an advocate of the right to bear arms. Now, I think "Children of Earth" illustrates the reasons for that more eloquently than I ever could.

"Children of Earth" is science fiction. However, there's no denying that the government officials depicted here are even more monstrous than the 456 aliens. And sadly, I think the depictions of the government here may be all too plausible. There may come a day when the government decides, in the "national interest," to come for you or your children. If that day comes, it would be best for the populace to be as well armed as possible. We have an inalienable right to defend our own homes & families. No government has the right to interfere with that and any government that tries should be met with deadly force.

~The Borgified Corpse, proud to be an American.
Long live the 2nd Amendment.

__________________Kegg: "You're a Trekkie. The capacity to quibble over the minutiae of space opera films is your birthright."

Maybe it's being British, but I never could grasp this notion that somehow possesion of a gun makes you safe? So you have a Beretta 9mm in your bedside draw, in all seriousness how much use is that going to be when 20 armed soldiers with M-16s turn up at your door? The guns make everyone equal argument is a huge falacy, because they don't. Someone will always have a bigger gun, more guns, be a better shot etc.

For the most part the government troops will always be better armed, better trained, better organised. And not to mention your neighbour might have a bigger gun and decide to protect his kid at the expense of yours.

In the context of Torchwood Children of Earth, in the end Gwen had a gun, but one or two pistols against a dozen men armed with SA-80s? Maybe in NRA fantasy land that's be a fair fight but in reality her best option was still to just hide, then run.

Maybe it's being British, but I never could grasp this notion that somehow possesion of a gun makes you safe?

Not one thing in the entire world "makes" you safe. Not the police, not the fire department, not your home security system, not your locked door, and not your fire extinguisher in your kitchen, and not at all your privately owned firearm. What these things do is help enhance your level of safety, each in their own way. Some passive, some active, and some with user input.

So you have a Beretta 9mm in your bedside draw, in all seriousness how much use is that going to be when 20 armed soldiers with M-16s turn up at your door?

At that point having a Beretta 9mm and not having a Beretta 9mm are both going to wind up meaning about the same thing. 20 armed soldiers showing up at your door isn't likely to end well for you whether or not you're armed. Now, two-baseball bat wielding rapists/thieves on the other hand, that's a different story.

The guns make everyone equal argument is a huge falacy, because they don't. Someone will always have a bigger gun, more guns, be a better shot etc.

And some fires are too hot for my fire extinguisher and some car accidents are too brutal for my seat belt, but each one has situations in which they CAN help, even save my life.

For the most part the government troops will always be better armed, better trained, better organised. And not to mention your neighbour might have a bigger gun and decide to protect his kid at the expense of yours.

In the context of Torchwood Children of Earth, in the end Gwen had a gun, but one or two pistols against a dozen men armed with SA-80s? Maybe in NRA fantasy land that's be a fair fight but in reality her best option was still to just hide, then run.

Ideally it wouldn't have just been Gwen, though, right? It would have been Gwen, and her neighbor, and that guy's neighbor, and the bloke across the street, and so forth.

you never know it might be the US liberal gun policy that keeps them from invading, when you add up all the guns & missiles in the world, we are not a totally defenceless little planet, get rid of all of them, and who knows.

Giving everyone on a council estate a gun. Thats bound to turn out well.

If the news it to be believed everyone on council estates already has either a knife or a gun.

I live on a council estate (well it's housing society but that pretty much means the same) and I don't own a knife for my protection, nor do I own or ever intend on holding a gun. Like most people though I own a knife to cut vegetables and meat up though.

The Borgified Corpse wrote:

~The Borgified Corpse, proud to be an American.
Long live the 2nd Amendment.

Wheres the tosser smiley when you need it?

__________________

People in third world countries are so lucky they don't have to deal with these problems. - TheGodBen

Giving everyone on a council estate a gun. Thats bound to turn out well.

If the news it to be believed everyone on council estates already has either a knife or a gun.

I live on a council estate (well it's housing society but that pretty much means the same) and I don't own a knife for my protection. Like most people though I own a knife to cut vegetables and meat up though.

Yeah, I meant the "shut up or I'll knife ya" kind of knife... I live on a council estate myself and don't go round with knives or guns... It was just a sarcastic response to that comment.

__________________
“Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.”
― Terry Pratchett

Giving everyone on a council estate a gun. Thats bound to turn out well.

If the news it to be believed everyone on council estates already has either a knife or a gun.

Bob the Skutter wrote:

DaemonDaniel wrote:

Bob the Skutter wrote:

If the news it to be believed everyone on council estates already has either a knife or a gun.

I live on a council estate (well it's housing society but that pretty much means the same) and I don't own a knife for my protection. Like most people though I own a knife to cut vegetables and meat up though.

Yeah, I meant the "shut up or I'll knife ya" kind of knife... I live on a council estate myself and don't go round with knives or guns... It was just a sarcastic response to that comment.

I live on an estate myself and i too dont own any lethal weapons. But i also know what a disaster it would be if half the people living on the same estate suddenly had the right to keep a loaded gun. We have enough problems with idiots armed with Air rifles.

Legalizing or not legalizing guns is not what causes gun violence, actually. As Michael Moore pointed out in Bowling for Columbine, Canada has a similar per capita rate of gun ownership to the United States, yet they have much less gun violence than the U.S. does.

Gun violence in the U.S. is so pervasive because the U.S. has a toxic, fear-based, classist culture that encourages violence and alienation rather than egalitarianism.